Accessing public lands; one of your communities greatest assets

Once you decide that you want to spend more quality time outside, you might find yourself wondering where are there other places near you that you go can for a walk or a quiet sit. The answer? Public land! Land gets split into two big over-arching categories: private land or public land. Private land is just that: private and reserved for whoever’s name is on the deed of the land.

Public land is land that is designated to be accessed and used by the public, the everyday citizen.  Rules and regulations vary on each type of public land (which we will do a brief overview of) and it is important to know the regulations of the organizations that manage the public land you plan on recreating in.

Image of a trailway at Custer state park by Jenna Outwater

From long walks to reading a book, watching birds, or skipping rocks in the cool water, public lands provide space for people to enjoy their lives and fill their days with meaning.  These lands facilitate cherished moments with friends and families and provide a relaxing, yet invigorating environment for solo exploration and immersion.

Here are some examples of public lands you may live near:  state parks, county parks, national forests, national parks, national wildlife refuges, national recreation areas, national seashores, national monuments, the bureau of land management, deep breath, and many more. You can find an easy to read blog post by the U.S. Department of the Interior with a brief description of national public land by clicking: here.

Image by Jenna Outwater

It is important to know that state parks, county parks, and national parks, and all other public lands will have different regulations that you need to adhere to when using the land.  For example, most popular national parks do not allow dogs, while most national forests and state parks do allow dogs. But even this small example will vary by state, county, and park. ( If you are reading this from outside of the U.S., you will need to check regulations of similar public land areas in your country).

In a lot of cases, there will be a sign or readerboard near the entrance to public access areas such as trails and picnic areas.  These signs will contain important recreation use information, as well as direct you to where to look or who to contact for more in-depth explanations or questions you may have about fishing, hunting, bike riding, or camping in an area.

There are also organizations called land trusts, that acquire land for the purpose of wildlife and habitat conservation, as well as creating publicly accessible land where there was once none. Land trusts are typically active within their communities and offer educational events and volunteer opportunities.

Look for a local land trust near you! Swing by or give them a call, they will have valuable information to share about accessing the land, and information on how you can get involved. Make sure to not be fooled though, not all land trusts have the word “land trust”  within their name, and not all organizations with the words land trust in their title are conservation organizations.

While there is a large amount of public land that is free to access, some you have to pay to enter. Sometimes you may be annoyed or aggravated by an activity that is restricted in a certain area, such as fires or harvesting wild plants.  And occasionally,  you will get frustrated with other people who are using the same land, who may be noisy or somehow interfering with what you set out to do.

With that, we still should do our best to respect the regulations around public land use and respect the other recreators.  Although not perfect in function, these lands and the organizations and tireless volunteers that help maintain them are typically doing the best they can at this time to provide people with space to use, share, and cherish.

Image by Jenna Outwater

If you have concerns or questions about how public land is managed, please reach out to the employes of that specific land.  More often than not, there are dedicated individuals behind the scene who enjoy educating people about their local land resources. Ideas, suggestions, and inquiries are beneficial and may impact future recreation management decisions. In most cases, your involvement is encouraged and much appreciated!

Just like any wildlife species, we are all born with an inherent right to use the land. Unlike birds and antelope though, we usually need a passport to cross country borders, or permission to enter certain areas.  We aren’t allowed to walk around on all fours and graze through any farm or garden we see, and we definitely aren’t encouraged to poop where we so please like a rabbit would.

Take a moment and set aside country boundaries, citizenships, social class systems, and no trespassing signs plastered across private access to beautiful lakes. Think in terms of simply how a human being functions and survives. We are not separate from the land, we are part of the land. Part of the process, part of the planet. Without the land, we would not eat, drink, or breathe, which in turn means we would not live. Whatever is done to the land, is ultimately done to us.

For example, when the soil is depleted through poor agricultural practices, the nutrition quality of our food decreases, and our bodies are depleted of the nutrition we need to thrive.  You wouldn’t dump your store-bought laundry detergent and empty an old can of spray paint into your well, and then drink the water yourself and serve tea made out of it to your friends, would you? You also probably wouldn’t choose to take your neighbor’s car engine oil and dish soap and happily throw it all over your backyard vegetable garden.

Although these are silly, hypothetical scenarios, it is a way to bring our thinking back around to the fact that how we treat the land, directly or indirectly, is how we are treating ourselves in the long run, individually and as communities and nations. Therefore when we take steps to care for the land we care for ourselves, our families, humans who will inhabit the earth in 250 years long after we are gone, and generations of wild roaming wildlife.

Image of the Badlands national park by Jenna Outwater

There is a solidness you feel when you are on an undeveloped piece of land. A solid, secure, free sense, that washes over you.  You too, are solid and free, when you choose to be. You know this already though, you have felt it before, even if only in a short-fleeting moment. You are like the land; you are an intricate part of the land.

Come outside, come exactly as you are.  Get some dirt on your skin, there is a community waiting to welcome you, and ever-changing earth waiting to nourish your mind and body.